Assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of Antarctica's botanical diversity
Abstract Vegetation is sparsely distributed over Antarctica's ice‐free ground, and distinct plant communities are present in each of the continent's 15 recently identified Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs). With rapidly increasing human activity in Antarctica, terrestria...
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crwiley:10.1111/cobi.12592 2024-06-02T07:57:52+00:00 Assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of Antarctica's botanical diversity Hughes, Kevin A. Ireland, Louise C. Convey, Peter Fleming, Andrew H. Natural Environment Research Council core funding to the British Antarctic Survey UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the British Antarctic Territory Strategic Project Funding initiative 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12592 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fcobi.12592 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/cobi.12592/fullpdf en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Conservation Biology volume 30, issue 1, page 113-120 ISSN 0888-8892 1523-1739 journal-article 2015 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12592 2024-05-03T11:54:03Z Abstract Vegetation is sparsely distributed over Antarctica's ice‐free ground, and distinct plant communities are present in each of the continent's 15 recently identified Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs). With rapidly increasing human activity in Antarctica, terrestrial plant communities are at risk of damage or destruction by trampling, overland transport, and infrastructure construction and from the impacts of anthropogenically introduced species, as well as uncontrollable pressures such as fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) activity and climate change. Under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, the conservation of plant communities can be enacted and facilitated through the designation of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs). We examined the distribution within the 15 ACBRs of the 33 ASPAs whose explicit purpose includes protecting macroscopic terrestrial flora. We completed the first survey using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) satellite remote sensing to provide baseline data on the extent of vegetation cover in all ASPAs designated for plant protection in Antarctica. Large omissions in the protection of Antarctic botanical diversity were found. There was no protection of plant communities in 6 ACBRs, and in another 6, <0.4% of the ACBR area was included in an ASPA that protected vegetation. Protected vegetation cover within the 33 ASPAs totaled 16.1 km 2 for the entire Antarctic continent; over half was within a single protected area. Over 96% of the protected vegetation was contained in 2 ACBRs, which together contributed only 7.8% of the continent's ice‐free ground. We conclude that Antarctic botanical diversity is clearly inadequately protected and call for systematic designation of ASPAs protecting plant communities by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties, the members of the governing body of the continent. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Arctocephalus gazella Wiley Online Library Antarctic The Antarctic Conservation Biology 30 1 113 120 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Vegetation is sparsely distributed over Antarctica's ice‐free ground, and distinct plant communities are present in each of the continent's 15 recently identified Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs). With rapidly increasing human activity in Antarctica, terrestrial plant communities are at risk of damage or destruction by trampling, overland transport, and infrastructure construction and from the impacts of anthropogenically introduced species, as well as uncontrollable pressures such as fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) activity and climate change. Under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, the conservation of plant communities can be enacted and facilitated through the designation of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs). We examined the distribution within the 15 ACBRs of the 33 ASPAs whose explicit purpose includes protecting macroscopic terrestrial flora. We completed the first survey using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) satellite remote sensing to provide baseline data on the extent of vegetation cover in all ASPAs designated for plant protection in Antarctica. Large omissions in the protection of Antarctic botanical diversity were found. There was no protection of plant communities in 6 ACBRs, and in another 6, <0.4% of the ACBR area was included in an ASPA that protected vegetation. Protected vegetation cover within the 33 ASPAs totaled 16.1 km 2 for the entire Antarctic continent; over half was within a single protected area. Over 96% of the protected vegetation was contained in 2 ACBRs, which together contributed only 7.8% of the continent's ice‐free ground. We conclude that Antarctic botanical diversity is clearly inadequately protected and call for systematic designation of ASPAs protecting plant communities by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties, the members of the governing body of the continent. |
author2 |
Natural Environment Research Council core funding to the British Antarctic Survey UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the British Antarctic Territory Strategic Project Funding initiative |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hughes, Kevin A. Ireland, Louise C. Convey, Peter Fleming, Andrew H. |
spellingShingle |
Hughes, Kevin A. Ireland, Louise C. Convey, Peter Fleming, Andrew H. Assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of Antarctica's botanical diversity |
author_facet |
Hughes, Kevin A. Ireland, Louise C. Convey, Peter Fleming, Andrew H. |
author_sort |
Hughes, Kevin A. |
title |
Assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of Antarctica's botanical diversity |
title_short |
Assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of Antarctica's botanical diversity |
title_full |
Assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of Antarctica's botanical diversity |
title_fullStr |
Assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of Antarctica's botanical diversity |
title_full_unstemmed |
Assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of Antarctica's botanical diversity |
title_sort |
assessing the effectiveness of specially protected areas for conservation of antarctica's botanical diversity |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12592 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fcobi.12592 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/cobi.12592/fullpdf |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Arctocephalus gazella |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Arctocephalus gazella |
op_source |
Conservation Biology volume 30, issue 1, page 113-120 ISSN 0888-8892 1523-1739 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12592 |
container_title |
Conservation Biology |
container_volume |
30 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
113 |
op_container_end_page |
120 |
_version_ |
1800741086557110272 |